Providence Journal sports columnist Bill Reynolds ’68 was featured at the Brown Bookstore Tuesday to showcase his novel “Hope: a School, a Team, a Dream,” based on the troubled basketball team at Hope High School, just two minutes away from Brown’s campus.
Reynolds said he was inspired by the “the kids the country does not have the answer for.” Compelled by the high school’s distance from Brown, he added that he understood that there was a story and hoped to learn more about the team as a “fly on the wall.” Following the athletes from basketball practices to games, Reynolds became a constant presence, observing team dynamics and learning about the players’ backgrounds.
While recalling the turbulent lives of the players — for whom lunch was inaccessible and parental support absent — Reynolds was asked what he thought society should do for these kids. The author said that acknowledgment is critical, naming the simple deed of acting on his curiosity about the inner walls of Hope High School as important.
“Recognize these kids and recognize the pressures they have every single day,” he said. “It’s about asking: Who are these kids? What are their futures? What are their lives like? These are the questions society does not want to answer.”
A key feature of the event was the arrival of Johnson Leah, a former Hope High School player. He spoke about his experiences settling in the U.S. from Liberia and having the team as an “extra family.” Leah also said he was among the members of the team that went to college.
The event attracted a mixture of longtime fans and Brown student-athletes. On what she expects from “Hope,” Vera Wayne ’65 P’88 P’92 said, “I expect to hear more of his typical wisdom about the world that transcends his reporting on athletes.” Travis Fuller ’19, a member of the men’s basketball team, said, “He’s a great writer, and I’m really looking forward to reading this book.”
Despite the book’s serious nature, there were a few moments of levity during the event. Asked why Hope High School was chosen as the focus out of the schools in close proximity to Brown, he said, “Well, the name makes for a great title. You can’t imagine it being named Mount Pleasant.”
